Reprise
by ringanybells
Summary: Another iPOD shuffle in an attempt to overcome writer's block. a lot of M&M.


Letterbomb- Greenday

Mary stared at the letter in her hand. All of a sudden, she was eight years old again. All of a sudden, the most important man in her life was about to leave, and all she had left was a letter. The only difference was that this time, the letter wasn't meant for her. She felt her heart tighten. She felt her eyes begin to tear. She hated this feeling, more than any other in the world. Worse than having to clean up after her drunk mother, worse than having to be parent to Brandi when Jinx was too hammered to go to teacher conferences, worse than having to move her things out of another apartment they'd been evicted from. There was no feeling as bad as the thought of losing the one person who made your life bearable. She let the pain wash over her for thirty seconds. She knew that Stan and her traitorous partner were waiting for her in the conference room; there was no way she was going to let them see her like this. Mary took a deep breath, and crawled back over the walls, ready to fortify her defenses and protect her heart.

Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off- Panic! At the Disco

Mary walked out of the bar with another guy. It was her third this month. She was desperate. She needed to get her partner out of her head. He'd kissed her. Nothing intense or special, just a simple peck on her cheek, after telling her he was glad she was alright. And since then, he was the only one she had been able to think of. Not her former fiancé, whom she'd kicked to the curb because he could see the truth in her eyes, that she didn't love him. Not the nameless men that she talked into walking out of the bar with her, who she used simply to try and take her mind off of screwing her best friend. She needed to lose that image, she needed to keep her mind from going down that path. Because she had a tendency to screw relationships up, case in point, Raphael. She couldn't let that happen with Marshall. So she couldn't fall into bed with him, she couldn't do this dance with him.

Morning Glory- Oasis

She stood staring into the mirror. It was bright in the bathroom, the sunlight making the yellow paint all the brighter. Her reflection was not the normal 'ready to go back to bed' mess; instead, her eyes were bright. She had woken up this morning happy, a very rare occurrence for her. She knew what had made the difference. She marveled inwardly at that revelation, she couldn't believe that this kind of feeling had been right under her nose all these years. What was it that he had said last night, that she just 'needed a little time to wake up?' She allowed herself a small smirk. Yea, that was it, she'd needed three years to wake up and smell the flowers. She heard the creak of the bathroom door and caught her partner's eyes in the mirror. "What are you doing up? Come back to bed, Mare." She allowed herself a smile in answer, nodding to Marshall that she would join him in a moment. He nodded in return and walked back to the bed. Mary waited till he disappeared before bending down and splashing water onto her face, making sure she was well and truly awake, then followed him back to bed.

The Way I Am- Eminem

Mary sat on the deck of the office, a six pack by her side. She stared out over the Albuquerque skyline. When the door opened, she didn't turn. She knew who would be there. She spoke without meeting his gaze. "I'm not going to apologize to them, Marshall. I'm tired of trying to be something I'm not. I am the way I am. I've spent my life trying to be everything for them, when secretly all I want to do is take off like my father did. They're always blaming me for everything that goes wrong, when really, all I do is clean up their messes. Both of them would be in jail, or a grave, if I hadn't been picking up after them the last twenty years. They can call me all the names they want to, it doesn't bother me that they're ungrateful. I'm just done, I can't take it anymore. I just don't care."

Marshall's voice was quiet as he sat next to her. "Yes, you do. You do because that's who you are. You're the woman who loves her family despite all the pain that they've caused her. And everything will be okay, because I'm the guy who's always gonna be here to help you."

As Tears Go By- The Rolling Stones

This job had its perks, its good days. But today wasn't one of them. These children shouldn't be in the program. No child should have to be protected from their own mother, no child should have to watch their own father murdered. Kids should not be put in the program, not at 17, not at 12, and certainly not at 7.

Mary locked eyes with Sarah, the oldest. The one who was going to take care of her siblings from now on, the one who would be doing the testifying. She should be at school, or out getting into trouble. But here she was being an adult. Mary nodded her head once, she liked this girl. There was a quiet strength in her eyes. Mary would watch out for her, make sure that she was alright. She sat across from Sarah, slid the large file in front of her. "Here are the terms of your WitSec agreement."

Obscured by Clouds- Pink Floyd

The wind rushed by as she flew down the desert highway. Having lived a life of restrictions, evictions, and obligations, she never felt as free as when she was on the back of a Harley flying down the road, nothing in sight but the horizon. Under the brilliant blue desert sky, she could imagine that for a few moments, the only thing she had to worry about was the speed of the bike. She only allowed herself to indulge in this fantasy every once in awhile, it was her sole addiction. There was nothing like the feel of the wind in her hair, or that of the engine between her thighs. This kind of ride was better than sex. As she twisted the throttle just a little more, Mary let all the strain from work and her family fall away, ready to get lost in the clouds.

If I Wanted To- Melissa Etheridge

Mary was a master of her own fate. _Yeah, right._ She thought to herself. She'd never been in charge of her own life. She'd let it be run by her family since she was old enough to see over the kitchen counter. But there was one thing that she'd always been in control of, her heart. She'd been able to keep people out of it ever since her father walked. She didn't rely on any man, and she was proud of that. And she kept telling herself that that was the case. She could walk away from this partnership at any time, because she didn't _need _Marshall.

She had to believe that, because if she didn't that gave him too much power, too much power to be the one to leave and hurt her. She had to believe that she was the one who could walk away, because if he did it first, it would crush her.

Ten Years Gone- Led Zeppelin

Marshall sat by the hospital bed, the steady beat of the EKG machine filling his head. Already he had been here for hours. The doctors said that no news was good news in this case, and that she would recover in time. But Marshall couldn't help but fear the worst, that she might never wake up. He thought of the million things that he had never said, that they had never done, all the things that could have been. He needed her to wake up because he couldn't live in a world where none of those things happened. He needed Mary awake, ranting, moving, being Mary. She was not a still body, ever. She was too full of life to be still.

She was the strongest person he had ever known. She pushed herself to rely on no one. But that didn't stop him from being there for her. He needed her to come back to him so that things could go back to the way they were. He couldn't let things end with him letting her down, not being there in her moment of need.

He thought of all the nights they'd spent together, in seedy hotel rooms, in the office, in his house. The nights spent drinking, doing paper work, getting to know each other. Each moment that he had spent with her, he had grown to love her more and more. He wasn't ready to let her go. He wanted to spend the next decade with her, the next three. He wanted to spend the rest of his life helping her hold the world together. But he needed her to wake up for that to happen.

A Day in the Life- The Beatles

Mary sat at her kitchen table, the paper spread out in front of her. There were days she questioned the need for people in her line of work, and then she'd look at the morning paper. With all the murder, betrayal, and tragedy in the world, it was no wonder that people had to shed their old skins to survive in today's society. Whether the witness was an innocent bystander or a former criminal themselves, there was always someone out there who was willing to do them harm in order to gain favor for themselves. Which is why Mary got up and went to work every morning, to protect those people who were brave enough to stand up for what was right.

Save the Last Dance- Michael Buble

Marshall stood back and watched Mary laugh. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his own face. This scene was nothing new, it had happened a hundred times before. Sure, when guys first met Mary, they were often shocked by just how _outgoing_ she could be, but 9 times out of ten, when it came time for goodbyes to be said, they would ask for her number. And without fail, everytime, she would get a look of confusion, as if she didn't understand just how beautiful and amazing she was. And Marshall would step in, to save the poor sap, and explain why they wanted the number. And Mary would laugh. She was always the most gorgeous in that moment, in the moment when she allowed true amusement to take over her face and utter disbelief to shine through her eyes. She would then turn them down, usually politely, unless they deserved her animosity. She wasn't snide or sarcastic in that moment, because she never quite understood why they were asking, and so the amusement would soften her voice.

And later, as they were traveling back to Albuquerque, he threw a knowing look at her, "You know, if you'd just wear your wedding ring, they'd stop asking you for your number, and me if you're single."

And again she smiled, mirth in her voice, "You're probably right. But where's the fun in that?"

Marshall rolled his eyes at her reasoning. "Personally, I don't like being addressed as your matchmaker."

It was Mary's turn to roll her eyes. "Please, if they're that unobservant, then they need to reevaluate their job titles. If that idiot couldn't tell I'm taken, he shouldn't be calling himself a 'detective,' okay?"

It was true enough, while she didn't announce her attachment with a ring, she was clearly a woman in love. "I'm just saying, without a ring, it's an easy mistake to make."

"For Christ's sake, Marshall, the man watched me lick whipped cream off your face this morning." She watched Marshall's eyes cloud over at the memory. He'd raised his latte too far to hide his laughter and accidently gotten whipped cream on his nose. Mary had refused to hand him a napkin and had moved in before he could use his own hand. They'd thought they were alone at the time, but several officers had walked in while she was mid lick. "Was he hoping I was that friendly with all my fellow LEOs?

Marshall chuckled, "That's probably exactly what he was hoping."

Mary shook her head, a smile of her own present, "Well, I guess he's out of luck. Because I only do that for men I'm married to."

Marshall threw her a mock glare, "I certainly hope so."

She reached out and took his hand. "I promise." Her eyes took on a devilish gleam, "however, if it was chocolate…" 


End file.
